October 16, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This week has been one of gratitude and celebration. Under the ceasefire deal, all 20 of the surviving Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released and reunited with their families. While we await the return of the remains of those we have lost, we are thankful for the safety of those who have come home and hopeful for lasting peace. As we concluded Sukkot with the celebration of Hashanah Rabah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, we honored the completion of the Torah cycle and the joy of new beginnings.

Fittingly, here at your Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, we shared a bittersweet celebration as our longtime Board member and volunteer extraordinaire, George Feld, shared the news that he will be moving back to New York to be closer to his family. Over the past 30 years, George has become an institution within our institution. While we will miss him dearly, we wish him every joy in this next chapter. Here’s a toast to our friend, George Feld!

With the holidays behind us, our campus is once again buzzing with activity. This afternoon, our local cinephiles gathered for a screening of the 1967 classic “The Graduate” as part of our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival’s Movie Club: Mike Nichols Retrospective. This evening, members of our local community once again come together for an evening of networking and conversation via our North End Pop Up Happy Hour, this time at Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap in the Delray Marketplace. Throughout October, more than forty adults with special needs have been enjoying local outings, with excursions to the outdoor concerts, bowling, bingo, and the Silverball Retro Arcade. These outings are part of our Levis JCC Helene & Roy Schwedelson Special Needs Department’s Schwedelson Sunday Social Scene program. For more information about these and all of our wonderful programs, please visit us online at levisjcc.org.

This week's Torah portion is Bereshit (In The Beginning), the first portion in the first of the Five Books of Moses. In it, G-d creates the world. Over the course of six days, he creates darkness and light, the heavens, land and sea, celestial bodies, sea creatures and birds, and land animals and humans. Then, on the seventh day, G-d ceases His work and blesses it as a holy day of rest. And here we are, just over two years since the start of the war in Gaza, at the end of a fruitful week of return and renewal. We have reached our seventh day and are ready to embrace peace and rest.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 6:32 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 7:24 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty